Metamorphosis
by Scarlett Spike
Summary: AU: After an unexpected journey, Spike finds himself visiting his old friend Damon, and going through a drastic change. Pairings: Damon/Elena, implied Jeremy/Bonnie, Spike/OC in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **The story takes place between S4 and S5 of TVD, besides the obvious AU mentions in the story, there's other AU settings: Bonnie didn't die when resurrected Jeremy, Silas was successfully desiccated, and never caught Stefan in the box. The events of 1977 are based on the Btvs novel "Blackout".

I do not own the rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series or The Vampire Diaries.

* * *

**Mystic Falls, 2011  
**

Spike was sitting under the midnight sky, staring intently at it as clouds were gathering, a storm was coming. He held a glass of bourbon in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he took a deep drag and exhaled sharply, the smoke flaring from his nostrils. A faint sound behind him snapped him out of his thoughts, and Spike turned around, shifting his weight against the pillar he was leaning on. Damon was bringing him a blood bag, Spike took a last deep drag, dropped the cigarette and stepped on it, then grabbed the blood bag.

-Thank you, mate - he replied half absently, and proceeded to pour some red liquid into his glass.

Damon nodded, drinking from his own glass of bourbon. He noticed his friend was more quiet than usual, but he knew Spike too well. The blond vampire wouldn't talk about what was bothering him even if Damon pressed on the matter. So Damon let him be.

Damon Salvatore and Spike have met over 30 years ago in New York City under extreme supernatural circumstances, that even today, Damon had a hard time understanding. A week after the stunt he had pulled on Lexi Branson, Damon had visited a witch in the Big Apple. She was supposed to enlighten him on how to release Katherine from the tomb, but instead he had ended up sucked into an interdimentional portal. Another plane of Earth, and Damon had been astonished. For once, vampires were slightly different, and the discovery of the various types of demons had left him even more perplexed. For him, demons had been just a myth from movies. But he didn't know any of this until he had tried to feed.

* * *

**New York, 1977**

Damon decided he wanted a snack, and to his delight, he spotted a beautiful brunette hiding in a corner. Her long, black hair flowing on her long white dress, and to Damon's surprise, she had a doll in her hand. He frowned and observed her closely, she wasn't a child, she was a woman, so why did she carry a doll? Damon couldn't understand. He shrugged to himself and approached her, staring into her beautiful green eyes, he started to compel her.

-You are not gonna remember this,- he said softly, but to Damon's surprise, the woman squinted her eyes and smiled wickedly, interrupting his compulsion.

-Pretty boy, playing mind games with me, - she said in a soothing tone, then her voice turned menacing, - silly boy, my blood is useless to you.

Damon was taken by surprise, he was certainly not expecting this. Was she on vervain, he wondered. And before he could say anything, he heard a second voice, a man. British just like the chick.

-Drusilla? What's going on, pet? - the man's tone was half-menacing.

-Spike? Little vampire here mistook me for a human, - Drusilla replied sing-songly, eyes closed and caressing her own neck, she dropped her voice an octave, - my blood is as dead as yours.

Damon realized she was staring at him with wicked eyes. Vampire, he thought. And Damon was even more shocked when he heard what she said next.

- You are a long way from home, you don't belong here, pretty boy, - she said sharply as her forefingers massaged her temple, eyes still squinting at him, - little soldier, bright bubble of light, out of place, far from home.

Hadn't he been a vampire, Damon would have been scared of her. She was creepy, but yet beautiful. He finally saw Spike, who stepped from the shadows. Another punk, like himself, but with spiked bleached blond hair, long black leather coat, and a serious attitude. Damon realized that this guy, in spite of being compact, was someone not to mess with. Which was _exactly _why Damon itched for a fight.

* * *

-I'm impressed, mate, you've got a nice setup here, you live like a bloody king, - Spike said while taking in the massive structure that was the Salvatore Boarding House.

Damon raised his glass and smirked, - Perks of having a wealthy family back in the day and concealing my secret for almost 150 years, - he replied before drinking his bourbon at once.

Damon had been surprised when Spike showed up on his doorstep. Obviously the blond vampire went though something similar as what Damon went through back in 1977. And according to Spike, it had happened almost a year ago, and after some months of being here, he had been tracking Damon ever since he discovered that the vampires in this dimension matched Damon's kind.

-I'm surprised Drusilla is not with you,- Damon asked casually. He remember having felt jealous of Spike for having been with Dru for almost a century. Back then, he wanted nothing more than to be with Katherine. But that have ever since changed when Damon discovered that Katherine had never been in the tomb, and that she had never loved him. But that was the past. Now he was with Elena, and they were truly happy.

-Dru and I parted ways at the turn of the century, - Spike said calmly, then proceeded to drink his mix of blood and bourbon, and added, - things changed between us.

Damon couldn't help containing his shock, and he couldn't help noticing that Spike had changed, he certainly didn't look like the bloodthirsty animal he had met in NY, which is why he refrained from staking him on sight. During his time in Spike's dimension, he had learnt that vampires didn't have a humanity switch, they were pure predators. And Damon had witnessed first-hand that Spike was relentless, violent and evil. A marvelous killing machine. But since at that time he have had his own humanity off, he hadn't mind it at all, in fact, he had enjoyed it. But now things were different, He didn't want to put Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie at risk, but he could tell that it was as if Spike had humanity, or something of the sort. He decided he would keep a close eye on the blond vampire.

Spike continued before Damon could ask, - fell in love with a bird. A human, a mortal, a Slayer, and I changed. But it was doomed. I'm over it now, been over it for years now.

Damon noticed the sincerity behind the words. Spike proceeded to tell him the tale of how he got his soul back and what it meant; and Damon understood completely, it was similar as having his humanity switch on. Even better, this sort of 'switch' could not be turned off, so Damon and the rest would be safe. He hoped. He remembered, back then, when Spike had told him what Slayers were, and how Spike had been gloating over having killed his second one some days before meeting him.

Spike was still telling his story, when Bonnie and Jeremy arrived, and Damon stiffened, full on alert observing Spike's reaction towards the humans. Just in case, he thought. But Spike merely smiled and nodded his head in a greeting manner. Damon relaxed, and as it started to rain, lightnings striking in the sky, he asked Spike if he wanted to go inside the house. Spike didn't need an invitation, because the deed was still under Elena's name, so there was no magical barrier to stop any vampire from entering, so Damon was merely being polite. But Spike shook his head.

-I like storms,- he said staring into it, silently seeing images from the past, of one particular stormy night. He shook the memory away and added, - but later, sure, I could use a place to crash, mate.

Spike finished his glass of bourbon and remained silent for a second, and Damon simply watched, there was something about Spike that Damon couldn't figure out. Finally, Spike broke the silence.

-Something is happening to me, Damon, I'm changing, - Spike said in a serious tone.

-What do you mean?- Damon tilted his head inquiringly.

-About six months ago, I noticed that things that used to hurt me don't hurt me anymore.- Spike replied somberly.

-Crucifixes and holy water don't hurt you anymore?,- Damon asked, and Spike nodded. -That's a good change, if you ask me.- Damon added, slightly smirking.

-I guess, but I'm not fond of not knowing what the bloody hell is happening to me, I feel different, somehow,- the blond vampire replied.

-What about sunlight? - Damon asked.

-That bastard still sizzles my skin,- Spike replied, clearly upset. Spike glanced at the big ring on Damon's left hand. -Lucky bastard,- he said pointing at it.

Damon chuckled, and a part of him wanted to ask Bonnie to make a ring for Spike, but not just yet, not until he was absolutely sure Spike was no threat. He was fond of the blond vampire. He had been his buddy for two months back in NY, and although nobody could replace Ric, he certainly was itching to have a drinking buddy again, specially one that wasn't a teenager. He was happy that Jeremy was alive, but he hardly qualified for that position, and also Elena would never approve of Jer drinking like a sailor.

-What do you think it's happening? - Damon asked.

-Not a bleeding clue, mate, - Spike replied, letting out an emphatic, deep sigh.

Damon tilted his head, eyes narrowed, pondering an idea. -I'll be right back,- he said and went inside.

Spike listened to the rolling thunder, and lightning zigzagging in the sky. Ever since arriving in this dimension, the memories of a stormy night in 1986 kept creeping in. Without even realizing, for the last six months he had been thinking about the person whom he fought that night. And every day the thoughts became stronger, and Spike couldn't understand why. Sure he had been madly attracted to her, after all, she had been a Slayer, and he always had an obsession with them. Their battle had been brutal, still he had been aroused by her, by her moves, by the fire in her eyes, by her taunts, by how physically close they had been while fighting. Spike realized that if he had not been with Drusilla, he would have sired the Slayer and make her his. He had wanted to do it back them, but he never allowed himself to admit it, because of Dru. He had always been loyal to her. His thoughts got interrupted when he heard Damon coming back. He was carrying a purple plant inside a napkin, and noticed that Damon was avoiding any contact with it. Spike realized it was vervain, he remember when someone had tried using it on him ten months ago and nothing had happened.

-This is just a hunch,- Damon said and brushed the plant against Spike's hand.

-Son of a bitch! - Spike jerked his sizzling hand away. And then it dawned on him, and Damon realized too.

Spike was slowly switching vampire species.


	2. Chapter 2

-No uh, that's bleeding impossible, mate,- Spike protested, pacing back and forth, his mind was racing, trying to grasp everything that was happening.

-Normally I'd agree, but I've seen my fair share of strange things, - Damon countered, shrugging, he didn't want to admit it, but it was definitely odd. He was still pondering the next course of action, when Elena interrupted his thoughts.

-Damon? What happened? - She asked, eyeing Spike warily. She didn't get the full scoop on who this guy was, or how he met Damon, but she knew he was a vampire. A different type of vampire. Not a hybrid, not an Original, but a complete different kind. Damon had promised to explain it later.

Damon and Spike exchanged a brief glance, and the blond vampire shrugged. Damon took the cue.

-Something is happening to Spike, and we cannot understand why.- Damon replied, and proceeded to explain to her what Spike had mentioned earlier, and the little experiment with the vervain. -We could ask Bonnie, maybe she can enlighten us,- he added.

-No, she can't, - Elena shook her head, and added, -at least not now.

Damon frowned, and then realized what she meant, - witchy is busy with little Gilbert,- he chimed, smiling at Elena.

-Damon!- she chided him, but she also read the subtext. She definitely wanted what Damon was thinking of.

-Fine, we'll have to wait for tomorrow, - Damon said, it definitely sounded like a plan. There wasn't much they could do regarding Spike's situation until Bonnie was available. Besides, he had _other _things in mind. He glanced at Elena and lifted an eyebrow sexily. She smiled in return, also raising her eyebrow, mirroring Damon.

Damon showed Spike into one of the many guest rooms the Boarding House had. Spike thanked the other vampire, and once he was gone, Spike lied down on the big bed, thinking, trying to understand whatever was happening to him. He felt different, he had been feeling different for months, but he thought he was just feeling homesick. He hated to even admit that to himself, but it was more than just feeling homesick, Spike could tell that. Not to mention, discovering that the previously harmless vervain could actually harm him now.

Spike was smoking, while still processing all the information; the storm outside growing in intensity. He got up and walked to one of the windows and silently stared into the distance and into the storm itself. Every thunder and every lightning triggering images and sounds. The sounds of a fight that now Spike wished it had been something else. Fighting that Slayer had been exhilarating and arousing, she had been a challenge Spike couldn't conquer. She had had the precise strikes of Xin Rong, sans the enchanted sword, the Slayer he offed in the 1900s during the Boxer Rebellion, and the raw brutality of Nikki Wood, the one he killed in 1977. But this one had also had something more: passion and ferocity, and an undeniable fire in her eyes. Spike remembered those green eyes, glaring at him with confidence and euphoria. She hadn't been afraid of him at all. Ultimately, she had severely injured him, and as much as Spike had wanted to push the pain away and keep fighting until victory, he had known it was too dangerous, so he had ran away. It had been in 1986, in Los Angeles, under a violent storm, yet Spike could remember her scent, and her name. Rose.

Spike shook his head in disbelief, trying to understand why he was thinking of a long-dead Slayer. He spotted a bottle of bourbon on the nightstand and raised an eyebrow in amusement. _Thank you, mate, _he thought. Damon had left it there, knowing that the blond vampire would need it. Spike poured himself some whisky and drank deep, then placed the glass on the nightstand, right next to the ashtray where he had just butted out his cigarette. He closed every curtain shut, so he wouldn't have to worry about sunlight in the morning, and once he undressed, he got in bed, hoping he could sleep. Spike had a feeling he would have trouble sleeping.

The next morning, or rather, noon, he woke up with the still fresh memories of his dream. He had dreamed of that fight, again. After freshening up, Spike cautiously emerged from the large bedroom, trying to avoid every shaft of sunlight that entered through the many windows in the large mansion.

-Bloody hell, could this place have even more bloody sunlight? -, he muttered to himself. When he reached the living room, he noticed there was a small gathering, and all four pairs of eyes instantly turned to him. Spike felt slightly uncomfortable.

-Spike, - Damon greeted him, and added, -I was explaining to them what is happening to you.

Elena rose from the couch and approached Spike, - Hello, I believe we haven't been officially introduced, - she turned and threw a scolding glance at Damon, who merely shrugged. She continued, - my name is Elena, that's my brother Jeremy, and this is my friend Bonnie.

Spike nodded a greet at all three of them. Damon resumed talking, - Bonnie is a witch, and might be able to help, or at least find an explanation to whatever is happening to you.

Spike's eyes lit and shifted his stare at Bonnie, - a witch, eh? - he said with interested in his tone.

- What? Is there any problem? - Bonnie asked defensively.

Spike shook his head, - no, not at all. It just reminded me of someone I knew. A witch, as well, and an incredibly powerful one. Red could be frightening at times, - he replied, almost chuckling. He noticed curiosity in Bonnie's eyes.

- Red? - Bonnie couldn't hide her curiosity.

- Bird's a redhead, her name's Willow, but I like calling her Red, - Spike replied, not hiding the fondness in his tone. He missed Willow, last time he had heard from her it had been weeks before his arrival here.

Bonnie smiled at Spike and grabbed her grimoire, flipping through the pages, trying to find anything, but judging by her grim expression, she wasn't finding anything.

- I'm sorry,- she said apologetically, and continued, - let's try this, - she grabbed Spike's arms, trying to read him. After a brief moment, Bonnie snapped her eyes open, full in shock.

- Bonnie, what happened? - Jeremy asked, slowly getting close to her, but she ignored any addressing at her.

- What happened to you? - Bonnie continued, - you burnt in sunlight, you died, how come you are still here?

Damon's eyes shifted from the witch to the blond vampire. Spike had left that part out of the tale.

- It's not important, - Spike replied, hoping they would let go. Spike didn't like to brag about that. Well, except when it came to Angel, they always used to compare their feats. And silently, he admitted he missed his grandsire, after all, Angel had been the only one to truly understand him, since he also had a soul, they both had been outcasts. Spike shook the thoughts.

Bonnie excuse herself and left, mentioning he was going to call her mother and see if she could explain the phenomenon. Jeremy trailed after her.

Spike could feel both Damon's and Elena's piercing stare, they wanted to know what had happened. And after taking a deep breath, Spike briefly explained how he closed the Hellmouth. Damon was now sure that Spike wouldn't pose a threat at all, and felt relieved.

When Bonnie returned, she explained that Abbie told her that nature always finds a way of adjusting and balancing things. And since Spike was a mirror species of an already existing species, change was inevitable. Nature was shaping him slowly to the dogma of this plane.

-How come that didn't happen to me when I was in his dimension? - Damon asked confused, and Bonnie glanced at him inquiringly, Damon shook his head, - don't ask, long story.

Bonnie threw an annoyed look at him, - well, Damon, it would help understand. How long you were in that place?

-Two months, give or take, - Damon replied casually.

-That's why nothing happened to you, Spike's been here for a whole year, right? And he still hasn't fully changed. It takes time. A long time. - Bonnie explained, then she addressed Elena, - can we talk for a sec?

Elena nodded and both girls left the room. Spike poured some bourbon, and sat on the couch, staring absently into his glass. He didn't notice Damon leaving the room, so when he returned and tossed a blood bag at Spike, the blond vampire startled.

- Bloody hell, - Spike protested, then poured some blood in his glass.

- How come you didn't try to go back to your dimension? - asked Damon. He had been wondering this since yesterday.

- Don't think I didn't bleeding try. As you already know, I popped in the Mother Country, tried finding a witch to help me get some bloody answers, but I didn't even know where the hell to even look. Or who to trust. After a couple of months, I gave up looking there, so I sneaked in a cargo ship back to America. Bloody thing made port in Florida, of all places, and when I started noticing the changes, and saw the vampires, that's when I decided to come to Virginia, because I remembered you mentioned it, but I couldn't remember the name of this bloody town. Took me months to remember, and months to be get here. Unlike you, I was completely penniless, - Spike explained after drinking the blood.

- Mhm, - Damon was pensive, and added, - not that I'm trying to kick you out, but probably we could try New York again, visit the place where it happened to me.

- He can't, - Bonnie interrupted, she and Elena were just entering the room. Damon frowned, and Bonnie replied to the unspoken question, - because he's already changing. We don't know what could happen to him.

Spike's heart sank. He was stuck here, forever, by the looks of it.


End file.
